Putting accessories have been a popular tool for golfers to practice putting in the convenience of their home and/or in the off-season. It is desirable to vary the putting distance and surface contour to realistically simulate the challenges faced on a green at a golf course and thus improve the putting skill of a golfer. There are many types of putting practice accessories which vary in realism, cost, and ease of use, and user enjoyment.
Putting practice devices fall under two the main categories of single-direction and multi-direction.
Single-direction devices consist of one of various types of target for the ball, some of which include a return mechanism and a carpet. Sometimes the target end is raised up so the ball can fall into a hole, then follow a track to return to the starting place. This is unrealistic to putting on the green of a golf course because the area around a hole on a green is not raised a few inches from the remainder of the green. On other units the entire putting area is raised, so the putting surface is flat and the ball falls into a hole. The disadvantage to this is that it makes the unit very bulky. Putting in a straight line can quickly become rote and thus bore the user. It does not promote the variety required to imitate putting on a golf course.
Multi-direction putting devices are also referred to as artificial putting greens. Some have actual holes and can be used indoor or outdoor. If they are used outdoors, extensive work, materials, and money are required to provide water drainage, and to smooth and prepare an area. If these artificial greens are used indoors, a raised platform must be built. Additional time, cost and materials are required in order to include a contoured surface to the platform. While artificial greens are the most similar to a golf course green, the cost and effort to establish them are a disadvantage.
Another category of putting hole simulators is a stand-alone, ball stopping device. The disclosed invention falls within this category. Most of these devices are ring-shaped and rely on trapping the ball within the ring. However if the ball strikes the ring on the far left or far right edge, it is likely to bounce off and not enter the ring. This has the opposite effect of a hole in a putting green, and is therefore not realistic.
One patent pending device on the market which is a solid metal puck, which is used as a putting target. The device is approximately half the diameter of a putting hole. It does not stop the ball, therefore it is not as accurate in depicting whether the ball would have fallen into a putting green hole.
Presently, there is no solution which is easy to set up, versatile, accurately simulates a putting hole, and can be used as a game.